A multipurpose biochip for food pathogen detection

Foodborne illnesses caused by the ingestion of foods contaminated with pathogens and/or their toxins are still one of the major public health threats worldwide. Disposable devices, allowing the on-site, early and multiplexed quantitative detection of pathogenic bacteria are therefore highly sought. Herein, we report biochips that are able to quantitatively detect two of the most common food-associated pathogens, namely Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus from the suspensions of bacteria stationary-phase broth culture. With a detection limit as low as 5.00 CFU ml(-1) for L. monocytogenes and 1.26 CFU ml(-1) for S. aureus, our platform may be a promising point-of-care device not only for clinical and food diagnostics but also for biosecurity purposes.